As 2022 marks the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China and signals the halfway point of the "one country, two systems" policy, photographer Birdy Chu looks back at Hong Kong's last days as a British colony. Chu's photobook evokes nostalgia, hope, resignation, disbelief, and compassion, as the images take on new meaning in light of recent developments. Chu's work captures the transformation of Hong Kong's landscape, social development, and people's feelings during that pivotal year.

About the artist

Birdy Chu is a photographer, video artist, and documentary filmmaker; he graduated from Hong Kong Polytechnic University with a BA in Design, and further studied film and video production and advanced photography in Canada. Birdy has worked as a photojournalist, video director, lecturer, and curator. He obtained his Master's in Visual Art Administration and founded "Art Casa" an organization that promotes art and photography education.

His photography and films have been exhibited in many cities and were selected for the Hong Kong Contemporary Art Biennial Awards 2009, National Geographic Photo Contest 2012, Hong Kong Art Prize 2013, and Hong Kong Human Rights Art Prize 2015. He also won the Most Popular Mobile Film Award at the Hong Kong Mobile Film Festival 2016. Birdy employs visual images to show his concerns over social development and leaves evidence of our ever-changing world.